Gratitude
by ModWannabe
Summary: Sherlolly one shot with a touch of fluff. Set after the Reichenbach Fall but before Sherlock's return. Sherlock is staying/hiding in Molly's flat. Sherlock starts to realise how much Molly has done for him over the years and wants to show his gratitude.


**Just a quick note to say that this is my first fic so don't expect it to be amazing. I would really appreciate some feedback though. Thank you and I hope you enjoy :)**

**Gratitude**

Sherlock was sitting on the sofa with his laptop on the coffee table. He was leaning forward with his eyes fixed to the screen as he scrolled through the news. Although he was 'in hiding' he still liked to know about all of the daily crimes and mysteries that London had to offer. He could hear the kettle boiling in the kitchen. He looked at the time shown at the bottom right corner of the screen. 21:47. From this Sherlock knew that Molly was making herself a cup of tea before bed. Molly always has a cup of tea before bed to relax herself, every night without fail. Sherlock noticed this routine of hers. It was one of the little things that he liked about her (even though he would never admit it).

Sherlock had been learning more about Molly since he'd started living with her. He now knew that she wasn't just a mousy pathologist that gave him access to the lab whenever he needed it. He had realised that she was a real person with a personal life outside of the lab. Sherlock had never given that much thought before. He had started to realise that in the past, on many occasions Molly had given up that life to help him. She'd missed out on parties, dates etc. She'd work overtime. Sometimes she's still be in the lab past midnight assisting Sherlock. Sherlock started to think about how much help Molly had been and how she risked loosing her job to help him fake his death. And then how she agreed to let him stay with her even though it would interfere with her personal life. She wouldn't be able to invite people over anymore and if she was out she'd constantly be thinking about how Sherlock was all alone in her flat. She'd worry about him. He then realised that he never thanked her for any of it. This made him feel guilty. He doesn't usually thank anyone; he thinks it's a waste of time and breath. So why did he feel guilty about not saying it to Molly?

"Here you go". A gentle voice interrupted his thinking.

Sherlock looked up to see Molly placing a cup of tea on the coffee table next to his laptop. She was wearing pink plaid pyjama bottoms and a plain black top. Her hair was still damp from the bath she had earlier. Molly gave Sherlock a slight smile and began to turn away, being careful not to spill her own tea.

"Thank you, Molly" He said softly.

Molly turned back to face him. A look of both surprise and confusion had made itself present on her face. He never said thank you for anything. Why was he saying it now?

"Oh…you're welcome. I thought you'd like one too so-"

"No, not for the tea" He interrupted her. "Thank you…for everything".

Molly now looked even more confused. He never thanked her for anything but now he was thanking her for 'everything'. What did he mean? And why was he saying it now?

Sherlock smiled at her as he stood up, shutting his laptop at the same time. He took her cup of tea from her hand and placed it on the table next to his. He then took both of her hands and held them in his. Then he leant down towards her face and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He stared at her, studying her face while still holding her hands. Molly's cheeks started to turn red which made Sherlock smile again. He couldn't help but notice how nice Molly's hands felt in his. They were so soft and warm, and they just seemed to fit so perfectly in his. He knew he should have let go of them by now but he didn't want to. Molly stared up at Sherlock's face. She looked far into his pale blue eyes. Sherlock's eyes were one of her favourite things about him because she always felt like she could just get lost in them.

"Goodnight, Molly Hooper". He said in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

He smiled at her and finally let go of her hands. He picked up his cup of tea and started walking towards the door.

Molly sat on the sofa where he had just been sitting. A look of bewilderment now across her face. She looked down at her hands and started thinking about how nice Sherlock's hands had felt wrapped around them.

"Oh and Molly…" Her thinking was interrupted.

She looked up to see Sherlock standing in the doorway staring at her.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Thank you for the tea". He gave her a final smile before disappearing for the rest of the night.

Molly picked up her tea and leant back on the sofa. She started going over everything that had just happened in her head, wondering if it was actually real or not. She then shrugged her shoulders, smiled and started sipping her tea.

"Maybe he'll be more thankful from now on" she thought.

END


End file.
